Chapter 16

Kaduduk.
His white fingers were pulsing with blood, and it would have taken him a minute to lose his grip.
Despite the pain, the woman gritted her teeth and glared at the unarmed man in the middle of the swordfight.
How.
How could it be that it was not her own sons who were being honored, but the sons of a bastard and other men.
Judging from the smokestacks secretly inserted by the elders of the Southern Palace, who were lining up against them, this sword contest could be the beginning of a rivalry between the two families.
If so, I instinctively knew that at the very least, I had to showcase my unlimited potential in this competition and raise the bar as high as possible.
So.
“……Did I convey those grades correctly, Black Ho?”
Mr. Pang couldn’t help but chastise Black Ho, even the most modest one.
“The mission was accomplished.”
“The mission? You don’t know what the outcome was?”
“It was…….”
“Surely that’s not how you’d react if you were trained in that class……!”
Mr. Pyeon was about to yell at her for not checking properly when he realized she was staring at him.
“Big Mother, your hand is bleeding! Blood!”
It was the youngest Confucius of the Southern Palace family, and the wall of the Southern Palace that Mr. Pyeon had planned to use in case it became a stumbling block in the future. The Grand Duke’s sabotage hadn’t gone as planned, but that didn’t matter. It wasn’t a priority, something that could be dealt with at any time.
As the walls of the South Palace began to bustle, all eyes turned to Mr. Pang, and he quickly hid his hands in front of his face as if he didn’t want anyone to see them. Then he smiled broadly.
“Wow, you’re so attentive, thank you.”
“Hehe! No, no, no! Hehe!”
Mr. Bai, who was hugging the smiling Namgung Byeok, exchanged glances with Mr. Pang, then grunted lightly and turned his gaze to the unarmed man.
Damned bitch.
You shamelessly came all the way here by luring Gazoo with your pale face as a weapon.
I don’t think a dime will fall on your head, and I’ll never see it.
Mr. Pang glared at Mr. Baek through his twisted mind, then snorted and gestured to Black Ho.
“How many more rounds do we have left, Black Tiger?”
“……I’ve just finished the first bimu, and I have five more to go before I’m ready for the final.”
“That’s quite a bit of time.”
Looking at Mr. Mulberry, Black Tiger cautiously opened his mouth.
“It’s just that you don’t have enough experience yet, so if you use this experience as a springboard to motivate yourself, and devote yourself to martial arts, you’ll have enough…….”
“There’s a time and a flow for everything, Grand Duke, who holds the title of a bastard, and brothers who haven’t yet reached the top, how long do you think that will wait?”
Black Ho bit his lower lip at the coldness in Mr. Pang’s voice.
“One fairly…….”
“If Gaju had looked at him a little more, he wouldn’t have been so out of sorts. It’s all his fault.”
“…….”
“Okay, did you get what I asked you to do earlier?”
Mr. Pyeon’s words cut off Black Ho’s speech and he nodded.
“I understand that the drinking water or tea and light refreshments available to the participants will be prepared in the kitchen on the annex side of the Southern Palace.”
“Good.”
“Do you have any idea what the …… is for?”
“The black tiger doesn’t need to know, a mother does what a mother can do, but I want you to know and remember this. If you ever have a dog in the future, you must remember this mother’s contribution, Ho Ho.”
Covering the corners of his mouth with the back of his hand, Mr. Poon smiled and walked away, leaving the dazed Black Dog behind.
He walked in the direction she had indicated, and soon found himself in the kitchen of the annex, busy preparing refreshments and tea.
One of the Southern Palace’s concubines recognized her and bowed low in surprise.
“Madam. Is it business?”
“Why. Did I not come to the right place?”
“Not ……that.”
“Never mind, where are you?”
“……Eh?”
“Where are the tea and refreshments for the Confuciuses of the Southern Palace?”
“Stir…… that is what you are asking…….”
Having had enough of the tongue-in-cheek bickering, Mr. Pang took a step forward.
“You’re the only one asking me questions.”
“Ah, ah, ah……. Lord, I am guilty of death.”
Shibi, already half-folded at the waist, dropped his head as he slumped to the ground with an iron clatter. It was a testament to the notoriety Mr. Pang had earned.
“This is the last time I’ll be lenient with you, so don’t let me ask you the same question twice. Do you understand?”
“Yes, yes, my lady!”
“Lead the way.”
Sibi cried and went straight to eating mustard, leading Mr. Pang to the front where there were refreshments and a teapot.
As Mr. Pang followed her, he saw that each of them had been placed on the table in the order of all the participants, as well as Namgungban, Namgunghyuk, Namgunggal, and Namgungdog.
A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth.
No doubt, each of them would soon be moving to distribute them to the members of the sword club.
“You must never let on that I am here. If word of this leaks out, you will be turned to dust as quickly as rats and birds. Do you understand?”
“Ah, ah……. Yes, yes!”
She nodded again and again, listening to Mr. Pang’s threats and being told to move to the back of the group.
Only when he was sure she wasn’t going to budge did he carefully unfold the tightly folded paper from her arms, and when he saw the white powder on it, he smiled broadly.
“Military assets.
On the one hand, it had the fatal advantage of being painless and harmless, miscible with water, and not particularly noticeable, but on the other hand, its toxicity was so virulent that it rendered one incapacitated for twelve days.
It was a hard-earned prize, but Mr. Lim had no intention of stopping now.
If he couldn’t generate at least a little bit of energy, all of the Southern Palace’s scholars would be gone before they reached the final.
Thud.
The military wealth scattered and poured evenly into the three teacups.
“Ho ho ho, ho ho ho ho!”
* * *
“All of your skills are truly impressive, and I am truly in awe of you. I wonder if you all feel the same way.”
Namgung Ho’s words caused the crowd to erupt in cheers, as they admired and marveled at the sword club.
“The support is more enthusiastic than ever, which makes me feel very excited.”
Standing on the bluestone floor of the sword tournament, Nam Gung-ho scanned the bracket. The brackets were now somewhat organized, thanks to the smooth completion of the third bimu.
Even the most feared member of the Namgung clan had been transformed into a better version of himself, and Anhui’s resentment and anger had been swept away.
Furthermore, even Duke Namgunghyuk II and Duke Namgunggal III showed their superior status and were seen to be able to win battles against young men who were four or five years older than them.
It was a festive occasion, literally a celebration of the Namgung family’s good fortune, and to add to the excitement, Namgung Ho decided to put in a little extra effort himself.
“First of all, I, Namgung Ho, who has devoted my entire body to the infinite glory and boundless prosperity of Anhui, would like to thank you all once again.”
“Waaaaaaaah.”
“For the sake of all those in Anhui who have responded with such enthusiasm and cheers, and for the sake of those who have traveled from afar, will it not be pleasant for this competition to be more intense than usual?”
“Right, right, right!”
“Make it more enjoyable!”
“Waaaaaah!”
Namgung Ho’s words caused a roar to fill Anhui Castle.
“So, I’m here to request that the Patriarch of the Southern Palace Family personally offer his encouragement and a worthy prize for the winner, so that this year’s Sword Festival can shine even brighter.”
At this point, the eyes of everyone watching the Sword Festival were drawn to one place. It was the seat of Namgung Mu Baek, the owner and patriarch of the Changcheon Southern Palace.
Of course, when the winner of a sword tournament wins, the patriarch of the Namgung family personally appears to honor the winner and bestow the appropriate rewards.
However, what Namgungho did not want to do was to pour more oil on the hot flames of the sword festival.
The competition to win it and the winner are what makes people crazy and excited.
After another round of stares and cheers from the crowd, Namgung Mubai slowly stood up from his seat as if he couldn’t stand still.
He swept his gaze across the room with an overwhelming gaze, and then said something that seemed heavy.
“In my name, I will grant the winner whatever they wish, whatever it may be.”
The words were short and simple, but the implications were far from light.
The repercussions of those few words.
“So, you’re granting wishes, and in the name of the Southern Palace?”
“You’re insane. What if I asked you to let me become a disciple of the Southern Palace Master?”
“It’s a promise made in my name, shouldn’t I accept it?”
“For those who aspire to the throne of the Southern Palace, this could be your chance!”
“…… and!”
Shouts erupted here and there, and the crowd’s eyes widened to the size of lanterns. Even Namgung Ho couldn’t help but stare at the patriarch of the Namgung Family with wide eyes, unable to believe that Namgung Mu Baek would say something so unconventional.
The elders and other officials of the Southern Palace were also pondering over what he had said.
“This ……, this is the best.”
“Go away! What is that……!”
“How dare you make such a remark!”
The elders were even more embarrassed.
They thought he meant that he would be appointed as a cowherd.
Since they had declared that they would honor the winner’s word no matter what, they should immediately appoint the person they were pushing for as the cattleman.
It’s not just a matter of words, it’s a matter of action.
If so, this sword festival was not just a festival and an event, but a competition for the title of shogun.
Everyone’s minds became dizzy.
“What are you doing? Don’t proceed.”
Namgung Ho, who had just barely regained his senses, had to regroup to continue the competition.
“Indeed, as the patriarch of the Changcheon Namgung Clan, and the wielder of the Changcheon Divine Sword, you are indeed worthy of the title. Who wouldn’t be excited to hear this, especially those of you who are part of this sword club. Hehehe!”
In any case, he or Namgung-ho had poured oil on the fire, as he intended.
As he said this, the participants, who were sitting and relaxing in their seats, looked at each other.
All of them had the same expression on their faces. Namgung Mubaek’s words made them realize that they were all eager to win.
Except for one.
“……puck.”
The pouty-faced boy with his arms crossed had a twisted smile on his face.